


Stilt Man

by suzuya_trash



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: And feels, CCG - Freeform, Gen, They're cute, im assuming a few things?, kinda domestic, platonic, some legs, there will be some ghouls in the future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2018-11-16 10:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11250936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzuya_trash/pseuds/suzuya_trash
Summary: Some writings that are kinda on a timeline together? Trying to fill in space before Joker and :Re with what's happening in Suzuya squad.





	1. I

Ya'll my formatting is messed up and this is completely unedited first draft. Expect improvements in the future but I'm posting this now so I have a place to start. Comments are super duper appreciated!!!!

~

 

Juuzou lived at the hospital for awhile after the Anteiku raid. After not leaving Shinohara’s side for nearly a week, and eating only red jello, everyone was worried about how the boy—if you could call him that—would act now. So in a secure ward he stayed. But, to everyone’s disbelief, he actually seemed to be doing better. He thanked the nurses for bringing him food, and even obeyed the doctor’s orders concerning his leg, or lack of, rather.  
Once he passed his psychological exam (now don’t get any of it wrong, he wouldn’t have passed one by any normal standards) The decision was made to let him back into the workforce, and that meant he needed a new partner...

Important members of the CCG sat around a table, deciding what to do with Suzuya. Some argued that without Shinohara’s guidance, his dedication to the CCG was gone, and there was nothing left but to dispose of him.

  
Others argued that he displayed much valor after Shinohara’s death, taking on the One Eyed Owl on his own, even after he had lost a leg, and those were the type of fighters the CCG could use, and use well. The Sunlit Gardens were brought up, to which Arima said nothing. Kuroiwa was Suzuya’s main defender, whether to respect Shinohara’s wishes, or because he actually cared about the boy, that was yet to be revealed.

  
Marude argued against Juuzou until he was red in the face, And to everyone’s surprise, it was Arima who came up with the final solution. He had already posed a plan to rehabilitate the eyepatch ghoul, and although his credit was running out as far as how many limbs they would go out on with him, everyone except Marude and Houji agreed.  
“I propose a sort of gamble. We promote him to senior investigator, First Class, and give him a partner, no, a team, unreliable enough to get him killed. If he succeeds, the CCG will be up an investigator that could perhaps challenge me, one day. If he fails, Suzuya squad will be just a minor blot in the books. “ Arima finished, pulling out 5000 yen and slapping it on the table. “And I bet on the boy.”

  
Within the next few days, Suzuya squad was brought together, each new member carefully selected, some to set Juuzou up for failure, some because no other squad would take them. The directors of the CCG had a pool of about 100,000 Yen, to be evenly distributed between Arima, Kuroiwa, and Washuu if Suzuya succeeded. All the rest had bet against him.

  
Suzuya’s new partner was to be Hanbee Abara. He had done average in all aspects of his classes, and showed a great aptitude in combat training. However, when it came to actual combat situations, he proved nearly useless. Perfect, everyone had decided, to get Investigator Suzuya killed. The fact that their personalities appeared that they would clash seemed to be a bonus.

  
The only thing left to do was interview, and make sure the crew was willing to be a part of Suzuya squad. Everyone consented, to Marude’s surprise, as he conducted the interviews himself. Although he would not mind if Suzuya was to be rid of, he didn’t want anyone else dying for no reason, and made sure each of them knew exactly what they were getting into.

  
Marude now sat across from Hanbee Abara, hands folded neatly in front of him, fingers bent from years of fighting both humans and ghouls. Hanbee said nothing, but the quiet man’s head was racing with all sorts of bad reasons to be called here. Could Hanbee have graduated from the CCG academy, only to be told he was not good enough to be let into the field?

  
“Abara-San, we have a sort of a special case here, concerning you.” Hanbee visibly paled. They were going to kick him out of the CCG after all. Marude smiled at the young man’s reaction to only the first half of the sentence, and then continued. “Have you perhaps heard of investigator Suzuya-san?”  
Hanbee nodded. Shinohara had spoken at the academy many times, and Hanbee revered him greatly. In the last year of his school, Shinohara always had a ghoulish boy with strange stitches and no manners trailing behind him, interjecting inappropriate comments into Shinohara’s lectures. Hanbee had vaguely recognized him graduating the academy three years before, and many suspected him of killing cats on the campus. At one point, Hanbee wasn’t even sure that Suzuya was a boy.  
“Have you heard about him?” Marude continued.

  
Hanbee nodded once more before speaking up quietly. “He graduated three years before me, maybe killed animals on the campus, and was Shinohara-san’s junior partner before...” If there was a funeral, Hanbee would have gone to it, though he had only spoke to the man five or six times, and only in a classroom setting. He had his heart set on visiting Shinohara in the hospital at some point.

  
Hanbee was still confused about the meeting, but his heart was sinking even further in his chest than if he was kicked out of the CCG. “Abara-san, we would like to offer you a very...special position within the CCG. It has come to our attention that Suzuya-san is a very skilled fighter and has an admirable intuition. However, without Shinohara to guide him, He could prove disastrous.”

  
Hanbee leaned forward, the pit of his stomach growing, but a sadistic curiosity as well, wanting to know more about the “Joker” of the CCG, as mysterious as he was feared.  
“Now you listen, and listen well, young man.” Marude tossed a file with “Suzuya Juuzou” across the front onto the table. “You’ll find all you need to know to make your decision, but we would have you be Suzuya-san’s new partner. They’ll be special pay, as your responsibilities will be much more than taking care of him at the office. You’ll live the apartment adjacent to his, and in all honesty, you’ll take care of him. Baby-sit him, if you will. You have to be his friend, and although he is almost a year your senior, you will be his caretaker. Managing that...creature won't be easy or pleasant.

  
“What we had with Yukinori was that Juuzou had a tie to the CCG, and now that’s gone. You need to be his new link.” Marude nodded with satisfaction.

  
“May I ask a question?” Hanbee asked, and Marude nodded. “What is wrong with Suzuya-san?” Hanbee wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

  
Marude laughed out loud. “It’s in his file, but I suppose I can tell you the short story right now. Have you perhaps heard of a ghoul called the Big Madam? No? She’s a wretched creature. Seems to have a hand in a large ghoul fight ring and ‘restaurant.’ You’ll see a sketch of her, but don’t let her portly appearance fool you. She’s SS for a reason. Anyway, in this fight ring, they keep pets to fight for them. I’m sure they bet on the fights. Suzuya-san was one such ‘pet.’ He was kidnapped and sold to the Big Madam at a young age. He’s killed an uncountable number of humans and ghouls alike. Due to her treatment of him...” Marude smiled, and it made Hanbee uncomfortable. “He’s highly disturbed. He can’t even be considered a full man anymore.”

  
Marude looked down and Hanbee understood, gasping and crossing his legs. Stuttering, Hanbee spoke up. “A-and his participation in the ghoul fighting rings is what made him a valuable fighter?”

  
Marude nodded. “And some of the higher ups would rather not get rid of him...” He stared Hanbee in the eye. “And I make this clear, if you can’t control Suzuya-san, we will kill him. He’s far too unreliable. I’ll give you a week to think this position over, but We have considered many people, and have carefully selected you to be his partner. Please keep this in mind.” He tossed another file onto the table. “Consider this your job requirements. Read them through carefully.”

  
Everything inside Hanbee immediately said to refuse the offer, but before Hanbee knew what he was doing, he spoke up. “I’ll do it.”

  
“Pardon?”

  
“I said I’ll take the job. I may not be a skilled fighter, but if I can nurture a skilled fighter, it’s a success to me.”

  
Marude smiled and nodded. “A word of warning, though. Shinohara-San would say that you learn to love Suzuya-san, but you may never be convinced that he loves you back.” Marude laughed bitterly before standing up. “I’m not even sure he actually cared about Yukinori-san anyway."


	2. II-Juuzou likes the red jello

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll Juu and Hanbee meet at the hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm sorry this update took forever! I really have no excuse. Anyway, the format is probably going to be weird again until I can go in and fix it because I feel bad so I'm posting from mobile. but yeh. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting! It honestly makes my day. Ya'll are lovely!

Although Hanbee had already accepted the job, he read the requirements over and over again, as well as Suzuya’s file. The boy had lost his leg in the Anteiku raid, and Hanbee wondered how that would play into their investigating. It had been a week since the meeting, and Hanbee sat in his apartment, wringing his hands together, before unpacking more boxes. Tomorrow, he would be introduced to his new partner. Any number of words couldn’t accurately convey how anxious he felt.

  
His phone buzzed in his pocket, Hanbee’s mom asking if he needed anything as he moved into his new apartment. His family lived in the countryside of Japan, but his mom frequented Tokyo for business trips. He hadn’t told her anything about Suzuya or the particularities of his position, only that he was moving addresses to the 1st ward, in a CCG mandated housing. To Hanbee’s surprise, many investigators lived in apartments surrounding the 1st ward, close to CCG headquarters, both for safety and convenience.

  
Sitting down and finishing with a happy emote, he texted his mom back that everything was all fine. Everything was most definitely not fine.

  
Suzuya still hadn’t moved into the new apartment, and Hanbee had been told that Juuzou would be living in the hospital for the first week while getting to know Hanbee, although a moving crew was moving boxes into the apartment next door. He had met a few of the members of the new Suzuya squad, and was delighted to find one of his old classmates was with him, although the two had never been close friends.  
Feeling a brushing on his leg, he looked down to see his cat, Belladonna, rubbing against his leg. He picked her up and set her on his lap, patting her black and white ears and letting all the fears of the new day wash over him. One thing was certain. He would not let Suzuya near his cat.

 

 

 

  
The newly promoted Investigator Abara swallowed the lump in his throat and rested a hand on the cold doorknob. The nurse’s heavy perfume lingered in the air, and Hanbee could only describe it as powdery pink. Nostalgic, in a way. Perhaps, he thought, he was only holding onto that smell to distract him from what waited behind the gray door.

  
The door opened before Hanbee seemingly on its own accord. A short, pale boy looked back at him. “So you’re Hanbee.” He stood on one leg, leaning on a crutch. “You’re tall.”

  
Hanbee stood there paralyzed. “I’m Abara Hanbee, yes.” He avoided eye contact. “I look forward to working with you.”

  
“No you don’t.” Juuzou opened the door and invited him in, hobbling over to his hospital bed. “But that’s okay.”

  
Hanbee walked in and sat down on the chair set up across the bed. Juuzou looked him up and down before starting to knit what looked like a red and black beanie. “So you like knitting?”

  
Perhaps because harsh laughter was expected, the pale boy’s chiming was surprisingly pleasant. The same laugh that was heard when he was killing. The thought made Hanbee’s hands cold. “I don’t really love knitting, no. But it keeps me busy while I’m here. The therapist said it could help me feel better. Maybe it does.”

  
Clearing his throat, Hanbee pushed the hair out of his face and began to speak. “They would like us to get acquainted first. Before we go out into the field I mean. They say you’re a special person. That’s not a bad thing, no, no. Just-”

  
Juuzou cut him off. “I like your hair. It’s a nice color.” he paused his needles and looked at Hanbee. “I could braid it for you if you’d like. Mama would always braid my hair. I wonder what she’s doing right now.” He went back to knitting, humming slightly. “They say Shinohara-san’s a vegetable now. I wonder what vegetable he is. Maybe a carrot, or a potato. Squash. Like ants. Squash the ants...” the boy kept on knitting along, going on seemingly random trains of thought, one leading to another. He would just as soon croon about cute animals as he would about splitting heads. Hanbee’s mouth dried the longer he listened, but for some reason, he found it strangely adorable. He found it hard to believe this child-like person was at least a year older than him.

  
Juuzou reached over and fit the hat around Hanbee’s head. Hanbee tensed as if an insect had landed on him, or if he was looking down the eyes of a predator. The most subtle movements could trigger something much, much worse.

  
But the hat did fit, and he put a hand up to feel as juuzou moved away. “I quite like it” He said, before carefully taking it off and holding it out. Juuzou took it and smiled.

  
“It’s not finished, but when it is, you can have it. I’m making one for all of us. The whole squad, that is. I already have Tamaki’s and Mikage’s done. Someone knocked on the door, and both of them turned to see a doctor coming in. Suzuya immediately turned and sighed, bowing slightly. “Kurisu-sensei, I already told you I’m not going to accept anything. I don’t like how it makes me feel and i’m not feeling bad anyway.”  
The doctor pursed his lips. “Yes, yes I know,” He thought for a moment. “Excuse me, Suzuya-kun, but your leg is starting to show signs of infection.” He slowly walked forward and lifted the edge of Juuzou’s hospital gown.

  
Both the doctor and Juuzou turned to see Hanbee puking in the garbage can. The Doctor scoffed. “If this is the grit of investigators there’s no wonder I end up treating so many of you.”  
Hanbee finished retching, which consisted of little as he was too nervous to eat this morning, and put his head down at the insult.

  
Turning back, the Sensei peeled back the soiled bandages while Juuzou looked curiously at the grotesque stump. “This is what happens when you are difficult, Suzuya-kun. Infections are no trivial matter, especially in a hospital where diseases run about.” He pursed his lips again. Hanbee noticed he did it an awful lot.

  
Hanbee cleared his throat, still shanasty from the vomit. “If I would, Suzuya-senpai, I would ask you to obey what the Sensei would have you do to the detail. We can’t have you go back into the field until you’re all better.”

  
“But I already feel better.”

  
Hanbee took a deep breath, and remembered what they said about taking care of Suzuya. Gently, but also terrified, he laid a cold hand on Juuzou’s leg, squeezed gently, and looked him in the eyes. “I would really appreciate it if you’d let a nurse tend to that.” He glanced down at the stump and realized he could see the The flesh itself. It brought up painful memories, but newfound determination to do well as an investigator.

  
Juuzou looked down and put his small hand on Hanbee’s. “If you insist.”


	3. as promised, some legs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ayyyy we get some fake legs up in this house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll i thought i posted this ages ago...so sorry about that. I haven't forgotten about this fanfiction, i'm just really bad with remembering to post it...but if you keep bugging me in the comments i'm sure to get it up faster. it's a huge motivator for me. I'll try to post the next couple of chapters more dilligently but depression so idk. Anyway i love you all for taking the time to read my shit fiction

Juuzou sat on an examination bed, kicking one leg absently against the side, as if he had two. They made him change into a hospital gown. It seemed unnecessary to Hanbee, as he was only trying on his new leg. His temporary replacement leaned against the counter. They had tried to make Juuzou go on crutches, saying that trying a prosthetic when the injury was still healing would be incredibly painful, but of course, he didn’t care.

The doctor entered with a large box. “Here you are, specially made.” 

Juuzou opened it like a birthday present, cast the box aside, and held the leg in his hand. It looked ceramic, but Hanbee knew it was made of much more complicated material fit for an investigator. “And the most important part,” Juuzou said, and then gave the leg a good whack on the foot. Panels sprung out from around the thigh, and Juuzou smiled happily. “Look how easily I can hide my knives now!” He lifted the pressure and they slid back into place.

The doctor smiled. “I can see it is to your liking. Now, let’s see if it fits you well. Abara-san, as the prosthetic fits a fair bit up his thigh, for privacy sake, would you leave while I fit it?”

“I don’t mind.” Juuzou said. I’m not naked under this. I still got my panda bottoms on. And besides, I think it would do Bee good to see this.” Hanbee sighed. Personally, he wanted to leave anyway, but he knew, that as his senior partner, Juuzou was ordering him to stay. 

“If you so insist.” The Doctor took the leg from Juuzou and kneeled on the ground. He lifted the side of Juuzou’s hospital gown. “May I?” Juuzou nodded, but warily. He seemed to get more uncomfortable the further up his thigh it went. Hanbee knew Juuzou could handle it, but thoughts flashed through his mind about what things the Big Madam had done to him, and all the unlisted things she could have done.  
It was over quickly. He fitted a few straps around his thigh and adjusted the knee screw until it fit proportions.

Juuzou covered up his legs, and jumped off the table. Immediately, he crumbled to the ground, and then laughed. “Woah, I guess i’m not used to this thing yet.” Hanbee offered a hand to help him up. 

“Try walking around, if you could. I’d like to see if it is fit for you. You can test it out later in CCG training labs and see if it is still to your liking.” 

He held Hanbee’s hand and took a few tentative steps, and then more confidently. “You seem to be doing alright without my help.” Hanbee said.

“I know. I just like holding your hand. It’s warm.” Juuzou’s hands were always like ice. “Wait a minute.” He ran (or tripped) to his coat and pulled out a couple of knives, stomped on the ground, and opened the panel that ran around his thigh. He slid knives in there, and then let it close. “I think this weight feels a lot better. It was designed with the knives in mind, right?” 

“Ah, yes, of course. If you seem to be satisfied, I believe all that’s left is to change back into your close and let you out.” He waved at them and smiled before leaving through the door that led to the doctor’s back room. 

Hanbee leaned forward against the door and closed his eyes to give Juuzou some privacy while changing. Not that he had been particularly modest around the house, but even so, he still felt haunted by the earlier feeling of dred. 

He could hear the doctors talking in the back room. “Finally done with him...so disgusting...I can’t believe they made you treat him...they should just do us all a favor and lock him up...”

Heat ran up his face and his fingernails dug into his palm. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. “I would really appreciate it if you didn’t talk about my partner like that.” Or, at least, he would have if he wasn’t as skittish and scared as he was. He wanted to stand up for his partner, but he wasn’t brave enough. Instead, he bit his lip and held his head high. “Let’s go.”


	4. Stitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They be chilling at their apartment. Trying to move juuzou into his own apartment now. I literally don't even know at this point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know this had like no plot right now but it is coming. Right now pointless but relationship building is all I seem to be able to right atm but idk yeah sorry if it's a little boring

I like your hair, Bee~” This wasn’t the first time his partner had complimented his hair. They sat in Juuzou’s apartment, moving boxes piled up around them half opened. Juuzou didn’t have many belongings, but those he did have made no sense. Hula dolls like one sticks on a car windshield, though he didn’t have a car; an extremely old, faded baby blanket with age old bloodstains; A particular set of dishware and cutlery that was uniform in that it one didn’t match the other; and packages among packages of sweets. 

He also had quite a few of Shinohara’s old belongings, sometimes as random as a computer mouse, sometimes making sense with sentiment, like the silver case that used to hold his quinque.

Juuzou lounged on a red, fuzzy couch and held his embroidery case gently in his hands. “Do you want one?” He asked Hanbee, holding it up and pointing to his own stitches. “I could think of a cool design for you if you’d like.”

Hanbee shook his head so fast Belladonna ran from his lap. He moved to shift back the hat juuzou had made him to a suitable position on his head before speaking up. “I would prefer not to.”

Juuzou persisted. “Our whole squad could have matching ones. Wouldn’t that be way cool? So even if we died they would know who we were. Like if we’re in lots of pieces. ‘Cuz that happens a lot, you know.” He opened the case and pulled out supplies. “I’m giving myself new ones, I’ve decided. I think that would be cool.”

Hanbee watched as Juuzou took scissors and cut the string and pulled out each stitch, sickening curiosity trumping squeamishness. It looked painful, but the boy hummed pleasantly. When he was done with his arm, he washed it over with a few alcoholic wipes. At least he was sanitary. He then moved to his face, pulling out the stitches near his eye, lip, and neck. Lastly, slipped his sweater over his head and working on the few that ran across his chest. 

Without all his body modification in, he looked strangely bare, only pinpoints of damage from the stitches dotted his body like stars. Bleeding stars, he supposed. 

There were scars to. Juuzou was covered in awful scars from all sorts of horrible deeds. Seeing them suddenly made Hanbee so angry he had trouble breathing. How could you inflict such cruelty on a child?

Juuzou didn’t waste any time before pulling out new red string and hooking it around a needle. He dipped both of these in alcohol to sanitize, and immediately started at the tip of his middle finger, like usual. This design was simple, only straight lines running up his entire arm. The skill at which he did it was impressive, but not more so than the complete lack of pain he displayed. 

“It’s not bleeding as much as I thought it would.” Hanbee commented. 

“The string usually soaks up a lot of blood. That’s why you have to use red if you’re not using pre done stitches. Because of blood it’s gonna end up red anyway. And I haven’t kept any particular pattern long enough to have it be permanent to the point where I can use it again without bleeding through.” 

Once Juuzou finished with his arm, he excused himself to the bathroom where he would continue in front of a mirror. Hanbee was okay with that. Belladonna hopped back up on his lap and purred, rubbing head against his chest.


End file.
